This course surveys the art and architecture of seventeenth-century Europe, with particular attention paid to the visual culture of Italy, Spain, and the Northern and Southern Netherlands. Artists to be covered include Caravaggio, Bernini, Velazquez, Poussin, Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Rubens. While developments in form and style will be discussed, the class will examine art in context, particularly focusing on the historical, religious, political, geographical, and theoretical basis for these works. Themes covered will include the Counter-Reformation church, emergence of the art market, the creation of new genres, the academy, and global exploration.